What’s the Best Way to Choose Your Real Estate Agent?

October 15, 2017

What’s the Best Way to Choose Your Real Estate Agent?

How do You Choose a Real Estate Agent that will Stand Out From the Crowd?

Choosing the best real estate agent to help you in the purchase or sale of your home can be a daunting task. Most agents are spending thousands of dollars advertising to attract your attention. In many cases, all that gets for you is someone that needs to churn out as many transactions as possible in order to cover the cost of all that advertising.

So what about online reviews on an agent’s website, Yelp, Google or other similar platforms? That can be a good choice, but think about how useful, or not, those reviews might be. Generally, a satisfied customer will be happy no matter what and so they will post a positive, glowing review about how great the agent was.

Curiously, I’ve read a bunch of these reviews and rarely find any that include a specific example of how that agent solved a difficult problem, made the seller money, or saved a buyer money. Rarely do the reviewers talk about how the agent protected their interests, reduced or eliminated stress when dealing with high levels of complexity, or made them feel like education was a part of the process.

And, perhaps part of the reason is that many reviews are just fake. It’s way to easy to go online, create a personality and write a positive review for yourself! Even easier is just to have friends and relatives write reviews. I recently came across an agent’s profile where the only review was written by her husband! So, are these the kind of reviews you can trust?

On the other hand, what about negative reviews? They may be more useful on several levels. For example, I have an incredibly negative review on a website, not from my client but from the other party in the transaction! I love this review because the reviewer says that I was not representing them and that I was looking out for my client and they couldn’t have their way because it was not what was agreed to in the contract. Of course, those aren’t the words that the reviewer used, but any reasonable person would understand the unhappy reviewer was simply reflecting how well I defended and protected my client.

So if you are depending on online reviews, then I’d encourage you to read the negative reviews with more interest than the positive ones.

What about the sites that claim to have agents compete to get your business? Think about this, a real estate transaction is highly complex, there are many laws that govern and a single mistake can cost you thousands of dollars. As a seller, is getting an agent that will reduce their commission to sell your house in your best interest? If they are willing to give away their own money that easily just to get your listing, what are the chances that they will truly work to protect your money when it comes to negotiating sale price, terms, repairs and so forth?

But is there a better way to find a really good real estate agent?

Yes, there is! Notice the people you are in conversation with that are thinking about buying or selling or that have relatively recently completed a real estate purchase or sale. Here’s another hint, when you are asking for recommendations, if the person just bought a house and you are thinking of selling, that may not be the best agent for you. The buying process and the selling process have a very different focus, so the best buyer’s agent may or may not be the best seller’s agent and vice versa.

That said, if you want a better experience when it comes to hiring a real estate agent to represent you, call or text 661-375-7325 or email Sally@YourRealAdvantage.com to get my list of the top questions to ask when looking for the best agent to hire. No cost, no obligation, it’s my free gift for you.

10 comments on “What’s the Best Way to Choose Your Real Estate Agent?”

Thanks for the tip to speak with those around me in to find referrals on agents and how doing that is likely going to be better than checking online reviews. I want to move to a new home that is closer to the city, so finding a real estate agent is something I need to start doing. By preparing my credit score, searching for an agent, and looking at various mortgages, I hope to be able to find a good deal for moving to a new home.

I like that you talked about looking for glowing reviews online, from past clients. I have been looking for someone to help me find a new house. I can see how it would be nice to find an agent that has made past clients happy. That way, I won’t have to worry about the agent taking too long to find a home.

Scott, another way to get a great agent is to get a recommendation from an agent that you trust to introduce you to someone that will do a great job. I make these kinds of introductions all the time throughout North America. Plus, I stay up-to-date on how the transaction is progressing to make sure you are really getting the help you deserve. Let me know if you want more info on this process.

thank you for the post on what’s the best way to choose your real estate agent. I like the idea to ask family and friends who have recently bought or sold a home who they used to help them. That way you can immediately get a good review from someone you trust about the potential realtor.

I’ve been looking for a good real estate agent, and I think that being able to get some tips would be good. I’m glad you talked about being able to look at online reviews for real estate agents. I think that being able to check reviews would be good, and help me be able to make the best decision for my family! Thanks!

I appreciate your tip to check out the reviews online and to carefully read through the negative reviews to see what they’re about. My husband and I are in need of a real estate agent to help us buy a new house, and we are wondering how to find the best one. We will be sure to check out the reviews that are left for the real estate agents we consider and to pay close attention to the negative ones.

That’s a great idea, Ashley. One of the ways to get help is to get a great recommendation. Keep in mind that a friend that loved their agent for selling their home may not turn out to be the best choice in buying a home.

I like that you mention that when you’re looking to sell, you should get recommendations from people who also just sold a home, not people who just bought a home. My husband and I are looking to move this year and we’re not quite sure what we want in terms of a home, so I think we’ll rent a house until we know what we want to settle on. For us, it’s important that we find a real estate agent that is reputable and can help us find our perfect home.